


A Warm and Loving Home

by KillerQueeenBee



Category: Prodigal Son (TV 2019)
Genre: And is too rich to care about his gucci coat, Even if he is tired af, Gen, Gil is a cat person, Good cat dad Gil Arroyo, Good dad to Malcolm too, Malcolm loves animals, Set in winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:41:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23574802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KillerQueeenBee/pseuds/KillerQueeenBee
Summary: Malcolm finds a cat out in the cold and knows just who to take it to.
Relationships: Gil Arroyo & Malcolm Bright
Comments: 10
Kudos: 67





	A Warm and Loving Home

Malcolm was on a late night walk trying to clear his head and get some air after unsuccessfully trying to fall asleep for at least an hour. He pulled his coat closed as a particularly chilling wind bit through his shirt. He was wondering just what he'd been thinking going on a walk this late in this weather when he heard a noise in the alleyway he'd just passed. He hadn't seen anything unusual in it as he'd walked by, but his body went into fight or flight mode as he carefully stepped back toward the alleyway.

"Hello?" He called softly. When he stepped into the alley, he saw nothing out of the ordinary at first. There was a dumpster, a pile of boxes, and some stray pieces of litter peppered the ground. Was he hallucinating? He didn't think so. Then, from behind the dumpster, a very soft and pitiful sound. It definitely wasn't human, so Malcolm approached with a little less apprehension.

When he rounded the dumpster, he was surprised to see two bright yellow eyes looking at him from the darkness. He crouched down and offered his hand out. "Hello there. Hey. It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." He said softly. Slowly, the cat crept toward him, and Malcolm could see that she was shivering. "You poor thing. You're freezing out here, aren't you?" He carefully shrugged off his coat and laid it on the ground. His mother would have a heart attack if she knew what he was about to do with his designer coat.

"It's alright. You're okay." Malcolm soothed the cat, who seemed too weak to really bolt off anywhere, but he didn't want to risk losing her. He picked her up and she growled but it seemed half-hearted at best. She seemed pretty small and was cold in his hands, which he was pretty sure was a pretty bad sign. He placed the cat on his coat and held her down as he wrapped the coat around her. He then picked up the bundle and held it close to his chest. "You're alright. I know you're cold, but it's okay. I'm going to take you to a friend's, okay? It's going to be okay. He'll know what to do." He didn't know if he was talking to make the cat or himself feel better, but there wasn't anyone around to judge him.

He found a cab after he'd walked farther than he would have liked. His arms were very cold, but it was very far from the first thing on his mind. In the dim light of the street lamps he'd discovered that the cat was most likely entirely black, and had probably been a house cat that was either left behind when her owner had moved, or she had been abandoned simply for being black. The myth that black cats were bad luck had always been harmful to adoption numbers for black cats, and sometimes led to abandonments like this one.

He'd only warmed up a little by the time he'd gotten to Gil's, but he'd live. He wasn't so sure about the cat, though, which was his main priority. He paid the cabdriver and hurries up to Gil's door. He knocked quickly and he prayed that Gil was awake or would hear him. He probably should have called first. His mind was all over the place, but at least the cat was starting to squirm a little. He hoped that meant she was warming up, anyway.

Gil answered the door wearing boxer briefs and holding his gun. His hair was messy and he looked very tired, but he felt more awake upon seeing Malcolm on his doorstep holding a bundle. "Do you know what time it is, kid?" He grumbled, but he pulled Malcolm inside and shut the door. He tucked his gun into his waistband and came over to investigate what was in Malcolm's arms.

"I uh, I don't, actually. Sorry, Gil. I couldn't sleep, so I went on a walk and I found her freezing and I think maybe she's hungry too. I just know you have a cat and I couldn't take her to the hospital or shelter because they're closed. I couldn't leave her there but I don't know a lot about cats..." He struggled to keep hold of the cat as she started to wiggle more.

"Oh hello there, beautiful." Gil cooed when he caught sight of her face. When she started to fight he smiled and guided Malcolm's arms to the ground. "She's fighting, that's a good sign. Means she's still kickin'. I'm glad you brought her here."

Malcolm set the coat down carefully and the cat managed to climb out from inside the folds. She sniffed the air and cautiously began walking toward the kitchen. Malcolm looked at Gil, wondering if he should be stopping her, but he seemed okay with it. She slowly found her way to the food and water bowls Gil had out for his cat. She drank for a long time before moving on to the food.

Gil's resident cat padded into the room wondering what the hell was going on and seemed to be surprised by the sight of another cat in her house. "Hey, Boba. It's okay. Relax." He scooped up the Calico cat and held her close. "That's gonna be your new friend. If you get along, she'll stay. If you're gonna be a bully, I'll have to find her a new home and I don't wanna do that, okay? So be nice." He told her. He his forehead into the fluffy part of Boba's head. "You're a good girl, right?"

Malcolm smiled softly at how ridiculous Gil was, and how kind. He was probably tired, too. Malcolm pulled out his phone and cringed when he saw the time. 3:49 AM. "I didn't realize it was so late. I'm sorry, Gil." He rubbed his cold arm sheepishly. "I can come pick her up and take her to the vet whenever they open?" He offered.

Gil shook his head and moved to rub Malcolm's other arm with his free hand. "I've got her now, kid. Don't worry. And you look like you could use as much sleep as you can get. Sleep in, if you can, okay? And maybe take a nice hot shower, you're pretty cold." He looked down at the cat who seemed at least a little more high spirited after having eaten and drunk something. "And Bright? You wanna name her?" He asked with a grin.

Malcolm blinked and looked down at the cat. He'd been told before that he wasn't allowed to name things. Probably by Ainsley or his mother, but Gil always trusted him more than anyone else did. "Snowflake?" He suggested after some thought.

Gil squeezed his shoulder with a chuckle. "Yeah, that's perfect." He set Boba down a little ways from Snowflake and he kept a close eye on her. "I'll take her to the vet in the morning, and I'll let you know what they say, but I'm sure she'll be fine. She looks like she's pretty good now and I'll make sure she's warm."

Boba warily walked up to Snowflake and sniffed her a little before deciding she wasn't all that interesting and she wandered back to rub against Gil's legs. "Well, I'll take that to be a good sign. I think they'll get along just fine." He hummed.

Malcolm was glad that everything seemed to be mostly alright now. "Thank you for taking care of her, Gil." He said, and he hugged Gil. "I'd better get going and let you settle in and go back to sleep. But I really appreciate you doing this."

Gil led Malcolm by the shoulder back to the door and handed him his coat from off the floor. "I can get that dry-cleaned for you." He offered, bit Malcolm shook his head.

"I've got it. Really, Gil. But thank you." Malcolm wasn't all that worried about his coat anyhow. He'd manage. "Have a good night, Gil." He smiled and gave a little wave before he let himself out. He yawned as he walked down the road looking for a cab and thinking about Snowflake. She was in good hands, he knew she'd be okay. He finally managed to catch a cab and before long, he was home again. He dropped his coat on the floor and kicked off his shoes before simply crawling into bed.

He'd shower in the morning, probably. For now, he was tired and he was in a hopeful mood. He burrowed under the covers, did up his restraints, and settled in to sleep.

And if in the morning Gil found a fifty and a twenty dollar bill on his counter, well. It was because Malcolm hadn't had much on him and he didn't want Gil to worry too much about caring for Snowflake.

It turned out she was pretty close to healthy, and she'd be fine in a few days. Gil had her chipped then took her back to her forever home where she happily coexisted with Boba and was loved as she deserved.


End file.
